Cleves

Cleves, known as Kleve in German, is a town in northwestern Germany, located near the border with the Netherlands. From the 11th century to the 18th century, Cleves was the capital of a German duchy that prospered under the Holy Roman Empire and Prussia, with the Elector of Brandenburg acquiring Cleves as an exclave as a result of the Thirty Years War in 1648. Cleves was once a fashionable getaway, but it was heavily bombed during World War II, and 90% of the city's buildings were severely damaged. It was rebuilt after the war, and it grew to have a population of 49,729 people in 2015.